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More students taking courses to earn TOPS

Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 8:18 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 8:18 p.m.

More students are taking the classes needed to qualify for the state’s TOPS scholarship, potentially giving more students a shot at college.

“Kids are starting to realize that this is something they need to be paying attention to,” said Terrebonne Parish Superintendent Philip Martin. “Everyone knows what an opportunity TOPS is now, so everybody’s trying to get it.”

To qualify for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship, which pays tuition to a Louisiana university, a student must take and pass the right classes and earn a high- enough score on the ACT. The right classes include some of the more rigorous courses school districts offer, such as advanced math and science courses and foreign languages.

“We can’t make anybody do it. A lot of students just want to take the path of least resistance, and the classes you need for TOPS are definitely more difficult,” Martin said. “But we do our best to tell every student how big an opportunity this is for them so they know what’s at stake.”

Individual school districts don’t keep tallies of how many students choose to take TOPS-required courses, but both Bubba Orgeron, secondary schools supervisor in Lafourche, and Terrebonne Secondary Schools Supervisor Tony Authement said they’re seeing fewer kids opt out in their parishes.

That perception is backed up by a report by the Board of Regents that says the number of students taking TOPS-required courses is steadily increasing. Of the 2012 graduating class, 69 percent of students had the right transcript, up from 57 percent in 2003.

The report says growth partially happened because schools have made it so students must take a TOPS-ready curriculum by default.

Every student starts his or her freshman year on the Core Four track, which includes the necessary classes, Authement said.

Each student has to finish sophomore year on Core Four. Before their junior year, students who are sure they will not go to college — either because they are seeking technical training or because they don’t think they’re up for it — can choose to leave that path and take less difficult classes.

But Orgeron said that decision doesn’t happen instantly.

“If a student says he wants to drop down, there’s a process. We meet with the parents and say to them ‘OK, this is exactly what’s going to happen,’ ” Orgeron said. “A student can’t just walk in and ask for this and it happen right away.”

Orgeron said some students struggle with some of the classes TOPS requires, such as foreign languages, and see foregoing those classes as a way out.

But, as TOPS becomes more popular, fewer parents are willing to let their child forego the chance to take advantage.

“A lot of times when they realize or their parents realize that they can’t get TOPS if they do this, that’s a big incentive for them to say ‘well, we’re just going to have to work harder and get the grade,’ ” Orgeron said.

Orgeron said TOPS is one of the most generous scholarship offers of its kind, giving many students opportunities to go college when that would otherwise be outside their financial reach.

“As a parent, it’s been a huge financial aid for me,” Orgeron said. “I know from personal experience how big a help TOPS can be.”

While more students qualifying is good news for parents and colleges, it could end up being bad news for the state’s budget.

Louisiana has spent about $1.5 billion on TOPS so far. And, as more students qualify and college tuition steadily increases, the cost is constantly rising. Since its inception in 1999, the annual price tag has more than doubled.

In the past few legislative sessions, some lawmakers have proposed limiting who can get TOPS or how much they can receive. But, so far, the program’s popularity has prevented such changes.

“I know it’s a source of consternation for some people at the state level because of how much it costs,” Martin said. “But, in my mind, it’s worth the money.”

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>More students are taking the classes needed to qualify for the state's TOPS scholarship, potentially giving more students a shot at college.</p><p>“Kids are starting to realize that this is something they need to be paying attention to,” said Terrebonne Parish Superintendent Philip Martin. “Everyone knows what an opportunity TOPS is now, so everybody's trying to get it.”</p><p>To qualify for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship, which pays tuition to a Louisiana university, a student must take and pass the right classes and earn a high- enough score on the ACT. The right classes include some of the more rigorous courses school districts offer, such as advanced math and science courses and foreign languages.</p><p>“We can't make anybody do it. A lot of students just want to take the path of least resistance, and the classes you need for TOPS are definitely more difficult,” Martin said. “But we do our best to tell every student how big an opportunity this is for them so they know what's at stake.”</p><p>Individual school districts don't keep tallies of how many students choose to take TOPS-required courses, but both Bubba Orgeron, secondary schools supervisor in Lafourche, and Terrebonne Secondary Schools Supervisor Tony Authement said they're seeing fewer kids opt out in their parishes.</p><p>That perception is backed up by a report by the Board of Regents that says the number of students taking TOPS-required courses is steadily increasing. Of the 2012 graduating class, 69 percent of students had the right transcript, up from 57 percent in 2003.</p><p>The report says growth partially happened because schools have made it so students must take a TOPS-ready curriculum by default. </p><p>Every student starts his or her freshman year on the Core Four track, which includes the necessary classes, Authement said. </p><p>Each student has to finish sophomore year on Core Four. Before their junior year, students who are sure they will not go to college — either because they are seeking technical training or because they don't think they're up for it — can choose to leave that path and take less difficult classes.</p><p>But Orgeron said that decision doesn't happen instantly.</p><p>“If a student says he wants to drop down, there's a process. We meet with the parents and say to them 'OK, this is exactly what's going to happen,' ” Orgeron said. “A student can't just walk in and ask for this and it happen right away.”</p><p>Orgeron said some students struggle with some of the classes TOPS requires, such as foreign languages, and see foregoing those classes as a way out. </p><p>But, as TOPS becomes more popular, fewer parents are willing to let their child forego the chance to take advantage.</p><p>“A lot of times when they realize or their parents realize that they can't get TOPS if they do this, that's a big incentive for them to say 'well, we're just going to have to work harder and get the grade,' ” Orgeron said.</p><p>Orgeron said TOPS is one of the most generous scholarship offers of its kind, giving many students opportunities to go college when that would otherwise be outside their financial reach. </p><p>“As a parent, it's been a huge financial aid for me,” Orgeron said. “I know from personal experience how big a help TOPS can be.”</p><p>While more students qualifying is good news for parents and colleges, it could end up being bad news for the state's budget.</p><p>Louisiana has spent about $1.5 billion on TOPS so far. And, as more students qualify and college tuition steadily increases, the cost is constantly rising. Since its inception in 1999, the annual price tag has more than doubled.</p><p>In the past few legislative sessions, some lawmakers have proposed limiting who can get TOPS or how much they can receive. But, so far, the program's popularity has prevented such changes.</p><p>“I know it's a source of consternation for some people at the state level because of how much it costs,” Martin said. “But, in my mind, it's worth the money.”</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>